About the Festival

43rd Newport News Fall Festival of Folklife

October 1 & 2, 2016

New Features for All Ages: Straw/Quilt Maze, Cakewalk, Straw Climbing Mountains, Pumpkin Board Games and CIY (Create it Yourself) Craft Area

The 43rd Newport News Fall Festival of Folklife will be held on Saturday, October 1 & Sunday, October 2, 2016 each day from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Newport News Park in Newport News, Virginia. The festival, which attracts 70,000 visitors each year, will feature over 200 exhibitors showcasing traditional crafts, heritage trade demonstrations, entertainment, children’s activities, and food.

New for 2016 in the Heritage Area is a new CIY (Create it Yourself) Area, where adults (and older children with adult supervision) can learn craft skills including candle making and fiber crafts; a free Cake Walk where winners will receive a fall decorated cake and a court loaded with Pumpkin Board Games. Giant Straw Mountains near the Lake Stage will provide a place for kids to climb and will also be a great “photo op” site. In the Marketplace Crafts Area, the Straw/Quilt Maze will a-maze guests with special surprises inside. New entertainers for 2016 are the Chisman Creek Band (Contemporary Bluegrass), ELLA: The Life and Music of Ella Fitzgerald (Jazz), Scuppernongaree (Original Folk/Rock), Bill Jenkins and the Virginia Mountain Boys (Mountain/Bluegrass) and Gratiot Lake Road (Modern Folk) and the Cigar Box String Band (Folk/Americana).

In the Juried Craft Area, highly-skilled craftspeople compete for $3,100 in cash prizes. The Heritage Area has craft/traditional tradespeople showcasing their skills with awards given for Best Demonstration and Best Display.

The Marketplace Crafts Area crafters sell a wide variety of handmade crafts that are great for holiday gifts, collecting, or home decorating. The Country Store Area vendors sell country-inspired merchandise including farm products.

Seafood, barbeque, pork rinds, and other favorite festival foods will be sold in over twenty-five booths in the Food Area.

Children can “make and take” free crafts in the Children’s Area. In the Pumpkin Patch ($), children can purchase, decorate, weigh, name, and receive an “adoption certificate” for their pumpkin. Newport News Fall Festival of Folklife t-shirts, festival umbrellas, festival hats, festival tote bags, and festival coffee mugs will be sold at the Newport News Parks, Recreation & Tourism Booth.

Admission is free; parking fee $10.00 per vehicle on-site and at satellite areas (Greenwood Elementary School/Woodside High School/New Horizons). Free shuttle bus service will run continuously between the satellite parking areas and the festival. No pets permitted in the festival area. Newport News Park is located at the intersection of Ft. Eustis Boulevard and Jefferson Avenue (Exit 250B from I-64).

Traffic updates, weather updates, and other event updates will be posted on Twitter @nnfestivals and Facebook www.facebook.com/NewportNewsFestivals . For more information or special assistance, call (757) 926-1400.

The following information concerns parking facilities, shuttle services, etc. for the

43rd Newport News Fall Festival of Folklife on October 1 & 2, 2016:

“No Parking” zones will be strictly enforced on Jefferson Avenue and Ft. Eustis Blvd. during the Festival on October 1 & 2, 2016.

There is a $10.00 per vehicle parking fee in both the park and the satellite parking lots. Shuttle buses from the satellite parking lots to the festival area are free. Handicapped parking is available in the park and at the satellite parking lots (the free shuttle buses from satellite parking to the festival are handicapped accessible).

Satellite parking is available at:
-Woodside High School (13450 Woodside Lane)
-Greenwood Elementary School

(13460 Woodside Lane & Ft. Eustis Blvd.)

-New Horizons Regional Education

(13400 Woodside Lane)

NO PETS ALLOWED IN THE FESTIVAL AREA.

For the comfort and protection of everyone, pets, bicycles, skateboards and radios are NOT allowed in the Festival area.

DIRECTIONS TO NEWPORT NEWS PARK:

I-64 Westbound-

Take Exit 250B; at the traffic light, make a left onto Jefferson Ave.

Newport News Park is on the right.

I-64 Eastbound-

Take Exit 250B; at the traffic light, make a left onto Jefferson Ave.

Newport News Park is approximately 1/4 mile up Jefferson Ave. on the right.